Govt won't humour gallows claim, Oppn refuses to yield

In a high-voltage session of the Delhi Legislative ‘Assembly on Wednesday, chief minister Rekha Gupta launched a stinging attack on the previous ‘Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over what she alleged was a “fabricated and disgraceful” attempt to distort history by allegedly falsely labelling a part of the Assembly complex as a “Fansi Ghar” (execution chamber).

- Snehil Sinha

Gupta ordered an inquiry and a first information report to look into the matter and said that ₹1.04 crore of public funds were allegedly spent on constructing and promoting the site, and the money must be recovered.

She demanded that the structure at the centre of the debate be removed before the All India Speakers’ Conference, which is set to take place at the Assembly complex on August 24-25.

Addressing the House, she accused former CM Arvind Kejriwal of orchestrating an elaborate political spectacle to gain public sympathy. “There is no history, no document, no evidence that proves any part of this building ever served as a gallows. Kejriwal wore the mask of patriotism and sacrifice while misleading people with a staged drama,” Gupta said.

The alleged “Fansi Ghar” was unveiled by the AAP government in 2022. But Gupta cited historical records that show the Assembly building, constructed in 1912, served as the venue for the Imperial Legislative Council from 1913 to 1926. She said the area in question was merely a service shaft used to deliver tiffins of food to British officers and never intended or used for executions.

She said the real site of Delhi Jail, where executions did take place during the British Raj, was located at the present-day Maulana Azad Medical College. “To falsely inscribe such a claim within a constitutional institution is not just misleading, it is an insult to martyrs,” she added.